Treatment for Mesothelioma

At Fox Chase Cancer Center, our multidisciplinary medical team works closely to accurately diagnose your mesothelioma and help you understand your options so that you can make an informed decision about your treatment.

As a regional and national leader in cancer care, Fox Chase has a wealth of experience treating all types of lung cancer.

Our skilled lung cancer team meets regularly to review patient cases and map out a personalized treatment plan. We strive to treat your cancer in the least invasive way possible using innovative surgical techniques and combination therapies that give you the best chance of a successful outcome.

Our doctors are also actively involved in developing new therapies for treating mesothelioma. Through clinical trials, we are able to offer our patients access to promising treatments and experimental therapies that may not be available elsewhere. Ask your Fox Chase doctor if a clinical trial is right for you.

Your Treatment Options

Treatment depends on the stage and grade of your mesothelioma; whether it has spread to other tissue; and your age, health history and personal goals. Your personalized treatment plan will be created after consultations with multiple physicians within our multidisciplinary team and may include a combination of one or more of the following treatment options:

Surgery

Fox Chase thoracic surgeons are highly skilled in both radical surgery and minimally-invasive techniques, such as laparoscopic and robotic surgery. This expertise provides the greatest range of options for individuals needing surgery for anything from advanced cancer to cancer prevention. Procedures offered include but are not limited to:

Extrapleural pneumonectomy and pleurectomy used for mesothelioma treatment

Systemic Therapy

The medical oncologists at Fox Chase are regional and national leaders in the treatment of mesothelioma. As part of the multidisciplinary team, your medical oncologist will help to determine your personalized treatment plan, which may include systemic therapies, such as targeted therapy, immunotherapy or chemotherapy, either as standard of care or as part of a clinical trial. Systemic therapy may be recommended to patients who are diagnosed after the cancer has spread to other parts of the body (metastatic cancer).

Radiation Therapy

The radiation oncologists at Fox Chase specialize in treating mesothelioma using the latest radiation therapies. Radiation therapy uses high-energy beams to kill cancer cells and may be given in combination with chemotherapy if you are unable to tolerate surgery or in combination with chemotherapy and surgery for patients with invasive cancer.

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